Planning a Trip to Hong Kong
Much of the anxiety associated with travel comes from a fear of the unknown. Not knowing what to expect-or even what a place looks like-can give even seasoned travelers butterflies.

VISA INFORMATION

When to Go
Hong Kong's peak tourist season used to be in the spring and fall, but now tourists are flocking to the territory year-round. No matter when you go, therefore, make hotel reservations in advance, particularly if you're arriving durinf Chinese New Year or one of the festivals described below. 
Web Cams
Our web cams provide up-to-the-minute glimpses of Hong Kong from a variety of angles. Included are some of Hong Kong's most famous attractions.
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Money
Cash/Currency  - The basic unit of currency in the colony is the Hong Kong dollar, which is divided into 100 cents.  Two local banks, the HongKong ans Shanghai Banking Coropration and the Standard Chartered Bank, issue versions of their own notes in denominations of HK$10, HK$20, HK$50, HK$100, HK$500 and HK$1000. As for coin, they're minted in England in bronze for HK$0.10, HK$0.20, and HK$0.50 piececs and in silver for HK$1, HK$2, and HK$5.  In 1995 new HK$10 coins were issued; they will gardually replace the HK$10 note.

Throughout Hong Kong you'll see the dollar sign ("$"), which of course refers to Hong Kong Dollars, not U.S. dollars.

Credit Cards 
MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are widely accepted.
Check with your credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and
other services which may be available.

TRAVELER'S CHECKS -
If you want to pay with cash rather than credit cards, your money is safest in traveler's checks, which will be replaced if lost or stolen; traveler's checks can be readily exchanged for Hong Kong dollars at banks, hotels, and currency-exchange offices (banks provide the most avorable rates).   Traveler's checks also entails a slightly better exchange rate than cash. For one thing, shops, restaurants, and hotels are not as willing to accept travel's checks for payment as they are in, say, the United states. Secondly, you can use leftover travel's checks in Hong Kong dollars much either be reconverted (which is not financially advantageous, because you lose money with each conversion) or saved for future trips to Hong Kong.

TIME ZONE
Hong Kong is 13 hours ahead of New York, 14 hours ahead of Chicago, and 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles.  Since Hong Kong does not have a daylight saving time, subtract one hour from the above times if it's summer.  Because Hong Kong is on the other side of the international Date Line, you lose one day when traveling from the United States to Asian.  Don't worry-you gain ir back when you return to North America, which means that you arrive back home the same day you left Hong Kong.

TIPPING
Even though  restaurants and bars will automatically add a 10% service charge to your bill, you're still expected to leave small change for the waiter.  A general rule of thumb is to leave 5%, but in most Chinese restaurants where meals are usually inexpensive it's acceptable to leave change up to HK$5.  In the finest restaurants you should leave 10%.  You also expected to tip taxi drivers, bellboys, barbers, and beauticians.  For taxi drivers, simply round up your bill to the nearest HK$1 or add a HK$1 tip.  Tip people who cut your hair 5% or 10%, and give billboy HK$10 to HK$20, depending on the number of your bags.  If you use a public restroom with an attendant, you may be expected to leave a small gratuity-HK$2 should be enough.   In addition, chambermaids and room attendants are usually given about 2% of the room charge.

CLIMATE   
Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towards temperate for nearly half the year. During November and December there are pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Many people regard these as the best months of the year. January and February are more cloudy, with occasional cold fronts followed by dry northerly winds. It is not uncommon for temperatures to drop below 10 C in urban areas. The lowest temperature recorded at the Observatory is 0 C, although sub-zero temperatures and frost occur at times on high ground and in the New Territories.

March and April can also be very pleasant although there are occasional spells of high humidity. Fog and drizzle can be particularly troublesome on high ground which is exposed to the southeast, and air traffic and ferry services are occasionally disrupted because of reduced visibility.

May to August are hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, particularly during the mornings. Afternoon temperatures often exceed 31 C whereas at night, temperatures generally remain around 26 C with high humidity. There is usually a fine dry spell in July which may possibly last for one to two weeks, or for even longer in some years.

July to September are the months during which Hong Kong is most likely to be affected by tropical cyclones, although gales are not unusual at any time between May and November. On average, about 31 tropical cyclones form in the western North Pacific or China Seas every year, and about half of them reach typhoon strength (maximum winds of 118 kilometres per hour or more).

When a tropical cyclone is about 700 to 1000 kilometres southeast of Hong Kong, the weather is usually fine and exceptionally hot, but isolated thunderstorms sometimes occur in the evenings. If the centre comes closer to Hong Kong, winds will increase and rain can become heavy and widespread. Heavy rain from tropical cyclones may last for a few days and subsequent landslips and flooding sometimes cause considerably more damage than the winds.

The mean annual rainfall ranges from around 1300 millimetres at Waglan Island to more than 3000 millimetres in the vicinity of Tai Mo Shan. About 80 percent of the rain falls between May and September. The wettest month is August, when rain occurs about four days out of seven and the average monthly rainfall at the Observatory is 391.4 millimetres. The driest month is January, when the monthly average is only 23.4 millimetres and rain falls only about six days a month.

Severe weather phenomena that can affect Hong Kong include tropical cyclones, strong winter monsoon winds, and thunderstorms with associated squalls that are most frequent from April to September. Waterspouts and hailstorms occur infrequently, while snow and tornadoes are rare.

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MAJOR TRANSPORTATION
MTR
Getting around Hong Kong and visiting the city's fantastic attractions couldn't be easier with the quick and efficient MTR rail system that covers all major districts in the territory, and includes stops at the boundary with Mainland China (Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau). The MTR consists of ten lines: Island, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung, West Rail, East Rail, Ma On Shan and Disneyland Resort, as well as an Airport Express. In addition, The MTR operates a Light Rail system running between Yuen Long and Tuen Mun in the New Territories, plus an inter-city train service into Mainland China.

TAXI
Urban taxis are red, green in the New Territories and blue on Lantau Island. Flag falls respectively are HK$15, $12.50 and $12 for the
first two kilometres. Please note that by law, passengers are required to wear seatbelts and refer to the metre for the exact charge. Hailing a taxi on the street is easy, except at about 4pm when drivers change shifts. Taxis are not allowed to stop at double yellow lines.

OCTOPUS CARD
If you're staying for more than a few days then pick up an Octopus card. These cards allow you to pay almost all public transport fares electronically.
It's much more convenient than fumbling for change. Any money left on the card is refundable when you leave (minus a HK$7 handling fee for cards issued less than three months). The cards and additional information are available at most public transport customer service centres.

BUS
Bus routes, with double-decker and single-level buses, cover almost all of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Kowloon Motor Bus, New World First Bus and Citybus operate routes to cover Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Meanwhile, New Lantao Bus operates on Lantau Island and Long Win Bus provides bus services to north Lantau and the airport. Final destinations are prominently displayed in English and Chinese on the front of the bus. Fares are low, usually ranging from HK$1.20 to HK$45, and are based on distance travelled. Exact change is required. Octopus cards are accepted.

MINIBUSES
Minibuses are small passenger buses that carry about 16 people. Red minibuses operate on routes that are not always fixed and passengers can get on and off anywhere along the route except where special prohibitions apply. Pay as you alight. The driver can provide change for small notes. Green minibuses operate on specific routes at fixed prices. Exact payment is required when getting on, octopus cards are accepted. Fares for minibuses are a little higher than regular buses, usually in the HK$2 to HK$22.50 range, but minibuses are sometimes faster. Once filled, minibuses won’t stop until someone asks to get off. Please note that minibuses are best suited for people who can speak some Cantonese and who are familiar with Hong Kong.

Ferries
A plethora of ferries ply the waters of Hong Kong connecting Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the Outlying Islands, Macau and Mainland China.  

Star Ferries
Most notable of all is the humble but legendary “Star” Ferry service between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island from piers in Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom in Kowloon and Central and Wan Chai on the Island. It offers a memorable and scenic boat trip across one of the most-photographed harbours in the world for just HK$2.2 to $5.3 for the upper deck, depending on the route.

Macau and Mainland China
For travellers wishing to sail further afield, there are also fast ferries to and from Macau and destinations along the coast of Mainland China. This service is provided from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan and the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.